Human Trafficking...the real pandemic

I’ve seen many people on Social Media with such strong views about what’s going on in today’s world. Everyone seems to believe something different regarding COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, politics, vaccines, and all the conspiracy theories going around.

I do admire the people who are using their platform to speak out on things that are going on in the world, which is something I’m choosing to do more. One of the things I've been particularly interested in is human trafficking, and I'm happy that this topic is getting more attention.

In doing some research I found the following statistics:

▪️In 2020 alone, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children experienced a 90.46% increase in reports of missing and exploited children, compared to the same time frame in 2019. Think about that...that’s almost a 100% increase, and there’s still five more months to go in 2020!

▪️In 2019, the NCMEC assisted with more than 29,000 cases of missing children. These case types were:

▫️91% endangered runaways
▫️4% family abductions
▫️4% critically missing young adults, ages 18 to 20
▫️Less than 1% nonfamily abductions
▫️1%, injured or otherwise missing children

▪️ From the 26,300 runaways reported to NCMEC in 2019, 1 in 6 were likely victims of child sex trafficking. Now think of that number and multiply it by 90...and we have hit the stats for the 1st seven months of 2020. That is an astronomical amount.

Conspiracy theories or not, human trafficking--in particular child exploitation---is happening. Whether you are Republican, Democrat, somewhere in the middle or not political at all, these stats should shock, concern, and horrify you. This is the real pandemic, folks. This is what we should be talking about and what needs attention.

Something is going on that is hurting our kids. We need to pay attention, question and be willing to look deeper into uncomfortable issues. Now is not the time to keep following the masses. Do research for yourself, find out what’s going on & what you can do about it.

We may think our voice doesn’t make a difference, but it does. The more we continue to shine a light on things that are ignored, collectively we can exact change.

Stepping out of my familiar comfort zone

“What saved you as a child will suffocate you as an adult.”

When we experience trauma as a child, we develop habits and patterns to protect or soul and brain when our body is in physical distress.

Our ego taught us self preservation, which served us then but now only hold us back with its negative self talk. Things like:
You're not doing it right
People will mock you
You're too old
There's not enough time
You're not smart/pretty/educated, etc) enough
There's not enough....
You should/shouldn't do...

Any type of "well meaning" talk like this is only your ego working to keep you small, in your place, not rocking the boat or being a "nuisance". Your ego steps in when you're pushing out of your comfort zone on the way to greatness.

When you commit to greatness, all the stories, beliefs, and habits formed as a child that helped you survive start coming up as an adult. The ego knows you’re stepping out of your comfort zone and will try to keep you stuck.

In order to bypass the ego we need to stop being afraid of ourselves and become who we really are, which is also what we have the most resistance to because of the lies our ego tells us about what will happen if we do it (everyone will leave/laugh/hate me).

When there ego conspires to throw you off course, sometimes it works! Last year I succumbed to fear, got stuck in small-minded thinking and was temporarily silenced because of attacks on my character.

When I finally stopped listening to my ego and listened to my soul, I realized that what helped protect me as a child now held me back. It was time to shift my attention from the ego to the soul, embrace my warrior within and stop being afraid of who I am.

When I embraced these challenges as a step to growth rather than attacks, that's when I experienced a transformation. I let go of all the old stories and beliefs about myself, and began transitioning into who I’m meant to be.

My resistance is the only thing that separates me from my power. I no longer want to be fueled by fear, living a mediocre life. I want to continue on the path to greatness living a shame-free, fearless life. You can too!

Own your story. It's the only one you've got.

"Do not live in the shadows of the masters forever. Learn to live in the light of your soul. Life deserves full expression." --Amit Ray

One year ago I chose to step out of the shadows & tell my story of being born in The Children of God cult. Not just born into it, but born as a child celebrity, in the cult founder's home, to parents who were top leaders. I lived my life in the spotlight with books, videos, and stories created about me.

I escaped the cult at 18 I lived my life hiding my identity. I could not deal with the fact that people were hunting my parents & talking about my life like I was an object or cartoon character. I hid and numbed, living a drug-fueled life for years. My hair fell out & I went into pre-menopause from depression & stress. I lived in complete fear of when the next TV or news article would come out about my family.

When I chose to tell my story, stop living in fear of my family name and being "found out," it was the hardest thing I did. I cried many tears as there was no going back to hiding. People judged me, attacked me, and said atrocious things about me. But I'm still here.

People will always have opinions of you & think you should live up to their idea of what they think is right. They will try to correct you & put you down. Fuck all of those people. No one knows your life better than you.

The only opinion that counts is your own. The only beliefs that matter are yours. No one else lived your life and knows your story.

I’ve done the work and I’m still doing the work. I'm on my journey, I'm healing, evolving, and using my life and experiences to help others. What are the ones criticizing doing with theirs?

Your story is yours alone. No one can take it from you unless you allow them to. Nobody owns the monopoly on your voice but you. Own your story and take your power back from those who try to silence or critique you.

I've stepped out of the shadows and away from my self-imposed masters. I have a voice, a story, beliefs, experiences, and choices. I'm living in the light of my own soul. I refuse to be part of the masses and I refuse to be silenced.